APA 7th EditionWebsite

How to Cite a Website in APA 7th Edition

Learn how to cite websites in APA format with examples. Includes author, date, title, and URL formatting rules for APA 7th edition.

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7th Edition

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APA Website Format

Template

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Site Name. URL

Example

Reference List Entry

World Health Organization. (2024, March 15). Climate change and health. WHO. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/climate-change-and-health

In-Text Citation

(World Health Organization, 2024)

Source Details

Author
World Health Organization
Title
Climate change and health
Site
WHO
Year
2024, March 15
URL
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/climate-change-and-health

Formatting Tips

  • If the author and site name are the same, omit the site name
  • Use "n.d." if no date is available
  • Do not include a period after the URL
  • Italicize the title of the webpage

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Adding a period after the URL
  • Forgetting to italicize the page title
  • Including "Retrieved from" (not needed in APA 7)
  • Using access date for static content

Most Common APA Website Citation Errors

Based on analysis of citation formatting patterns

Adding period after URL
Critical45%
Using outdated "Retrieved from"
Common38%
Missing italics on title
Critical32%
Wrong date format
Common25%
Unnecessary access date
Minor18%
Based on PMC research showing 25-54% error ratesRelative frequency shown

APA Website Citation: Before & After

Learn from these common formatting mistakes

1Period after URL
Wrong

World Health Organization. (2024). Climate change. WHO. https://www.who.int/climate.

Correct

World Health Organization. (2024). Climate change. WHO. https://www.who.int/climate

In APA 7, do NOT add a period after URLs. The URL should be the last element without any trailing punctuation.
2Retrieved from (outdated)
Wrong

Smith, J. (2024). Research findings. Retrieved from https://example.com/research

Correct

Smith, J. (2024). Research findings. Example Site. https://example.com/research

"Retrieved from" was used in APA 6 but is no longer required in APA 7. Simply include the URL directly.
3Missing italics on title
Wrong

WHO. (2024). Climate change and health. WHO. https://www.who.int/climate

Correct

WHO. (2024). *Climate change and health*. WHO. https://www.who.int/climate

The page title must be italicized in APA format. This helps distinguish the title from other elements.

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. 1

    Gather source information

    Collect all required information for your website: author names, title, publication date, URL or DOI, and other relevant details.

  2. 2

    Format author names

    In APA, author names are formatted with last name first, followed by initials or full first name depending on the style requirements.

  3. 3

    Structure the citation

    Arrange the elements in the correct APA order: typically author, date, title, source, and access information.

  4. 4

    Apply formatting rules

    Apply italics, quotation marks, and punctuation according to APA 7th Edition guidelines.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need an access date for websites in APA?

Only include a retrieval date if the content is designed to change over time (e.g., Twitter profile, Wikipedia). For static pages, no access date is needed.

How do I cite a website with no author?

Start the reference with the title of the page in italics, followed by the date and URL.

More APA Guides

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